NPA Oil for Development Programme (2016-2018) in South Sudan, Lebanon and Mozambique Supported by Norwegian People´s Aid and Assessment of Opportunities in Iraq

Background

With funding from Norad´s Oil for Development Programme (OfD), NPA and its local
partners seek to strengthen Oil and Gas (O&G) sector governance. The current OfD funding cycle managed by NPA in Lebanon, Mozambique and South Sudan covers the period 2016-2018.

Purpose/objective

The evaluation seeks to: (i) Document and assess progress and outlines results achieved; (ii) Highlight lessons learnt and best practices; (iii) Lay out recommendations for future programme enhancement; and (iv) Provide insights on opportunities to increase gender mainstreaming, as relevant.

Methodology

The approach used for this multi-programme evaluation suited in-depth qualitative inquiry around the evaluation criteria guiding the assignment and overall objectives. Fieldwork was carried out in Mozambique and Lebanon. Inquiry in South Sudan was based mainly on interviews carried out by a separate NPA-hired consultant together with a limited number of interviews held by CWP with key interviewees with responsibilities in the management of the South Sudan programme. Analysis for Iraq was guided by a literature review and information provided by relevant NPA staff

Key findings

OfD / NPA contributes to creating a more even field in which citizens and other relevant stakeholders are increasingly aware of their role in petroleum governance and are thus increasingly exerting their role as watchdogs, where circumstances permit. Such transformations require time and substantial investments. The programme has without a doubt enabled partners and their beneficiaries to become stronger players in petroleum governance. Acquiring knowledge on a sector undergoing rapid developments in key to reach constituencies. The training opportunities conferred by the OfD programme, partners´ on-going dialogue with NPA national, regional and Oslo-based staff, the increasing exposure by partners to other stakeholders in the petroleum sector, their increased participation in debates and spaces previously restricted to sector elites, along with the institutional strengthening opportunities provided by NPA to partners, have certainly contributed to programme partners being stronger today than before the programme.

Equally important is to highlight that the advocacy and lobby initiatives in which partners and their constituencies and target communities supported by them engage in, would not be possible without NPA partner mobilisation and organisation efforts. The NPA has strongly contributed towards mobilization and organization at different levels (communities, sub-national levels (counties, states, districts, municipalities, etc.).

The NPA´s has made significant progress in the three countries targeted under the NPA´s OfD programme during the period 2016-2018, considering the specific circumstances of each country. The organisation has shown to have a clear direction but yet be flexible enough to take advantage of strategic opportunities. A good example of this are the changes seen in one of the areas of intervention in the Lebanon, when NPA shifted it attention away from municipalities, while seeking to consolidate other areas and identify emerging opportunities.

This evaluation concludes that, the NPA OfD programme in South Sudan, Lebanon and Mozambique as overall, adequately designed, and performed well in their specific circumstances. Continuity of investment in petroleum governance is however required for efforts to date to bear fruit in the improvement of practices, policies and regulations.

Recommendations

• NPA´s outcome level indicators be adjusted to reflect more realistic shorter term results that reflect targets which can be more realistically reached in the challenging circumstances faced by target countries, as possible;
• Management measures be integrated at country management systems level to address the repeated delays in fund transfer to partners to avoid interruptions in the implementation of activities
• Continue instilling joint partner strategic planning meetings to build complementarities around common goals and increase efficiencies and effectiveness along the capacity building/mobilisation-evidence generation-lobby/advocacy platform;
• Seek closer alignment at country level between the different actors involved in O&G governance, including other donors. Collaborating with NORAD's government-to-government OfD programme also helps to promote coherence between the 'demand side' of O&G good governance and the 'supply side.
• Ensure that all programmes are subject to a gender lens from inception to avoid missed opportunities in a field that is largely dominated by men. Ensure that results can be adequately monitored and captured in the programme logframe.